Mama
by daughter of lightning
Summary: Told from Ginny's point of view. This is the story of the first time Teddy called Ginny 'Mama' (See Harry Potter A Year After the Great Battle, Chapter 5 for the same story from Harry's side). Touched beyond belief, Ginny realizes that she loves the boy more than just about anything.


Mama

_A/N: this story takes place in the middle of Chapter 5 of my other story, Harry Potter a Year After. It will be part of my Ginny series, where I will write short clips from Ginny's point of view, they are part of the same Harry Potter timeline that I believe happens after they leave Hogwarts. I will always tell you where they fit in, but all my stories for Harry Potter will go together and fit into one large story, from multiple points of view, the over arching one being Harry's in my main story. Enjoy J_

Ginny stood outside the door to her childhood bedroom, listening as Harry talked to his godson. He was barely whispering, but she could have sworn he'd said "Someday, probably soon, if it's okay with you, I'm going to ask her to marry me."

Could that be right? And he wanted to make sure it was okay with Teddy, how cute. Ginny wasn't a stupid girl; she didn't waste her time scribbling _Mrs. Ginny Potter_ on her books—well, not anymore at least. She knew Harry had been through a lot and that taking care of Tonks' son was a hefty task, but she'd been starting to get worried, right when it seemed like they were getting more and more serious, he'd asked her to move into Grimmauld Place for Merlin's sake, something he'd said in the car on the way to The Burrow made her question everything.

Teddy had morphed into some mixed version of her and Harry's faces. Red hair, with green eyes and freckles, Ginny's heart had melted on the spot, she imagined that it wasn't just Harry's godson sitting there, but her actual son, a beautiful child that took the best parts of her and Harry. Then his comments about Fleur having prettier children, or something stupid like that. Of course she knew he'd only meant that Fleur was part Veela, but it stung none-the-less and she wondered whether or not Teddy was going to be it for Harry, his surrogate son might be just what he wanted.

"I'm going to ask her to marry me," he'd said. There would be no question what her answer would be.

With a new spring and smile in her step, and pretending as though she hadn't heard a word, Ginny bounced into the room, heating the bottle and holding it aloft with her wand. "That should the be the right temperature," she said, snatching it out of the air. Handing the milk to her favorite little boy she said, "Here you go, sweetie."

Teddy reached out his pudgy little hands and grabbed at the bottle eagerly, his eyes were already drooping, "Mama," he sighed as he put the bottle in his mouth, rolled to the side, closed his eyes, and slowly sucked on the bottle until he fell asleep.

Ginny was frozen, had Teddy actually just called her 'Mama'? Did he think she was his mother? Somewhere in the back of her mind, Ginny registered that Harry had closed her bedroom door. _Probably a good idea_, she thought, _Don't want Mum knowing what Teddy just said_.

"Harry," she could feel the confusion on her face and hear the uncertainty in her own voice, something that didn't happen too often for her, "Did he just say what I think he said?"

This was embarrassing; tears began filling her eyes again. Not only was Ginny unaccustomed to feeling confused or uncertain, but also she certainly was not the type of girl to cry at the drop of a hat, now it was twice in one day. What was wrong with her lately?

Harry practically groaned, and Ginny was surprised he managed to keep from rolling his eyes, "Don't start crying again, please, Ginny. I'm still confused what was wrong earlier and I don't get why this is upsetting you."

"It's not upsetting me," The words came out before she'd even had a chance to think, but it was true. Teddy calling her 'Mama' was the farthest thing from upsetting; it was filling her with pure joy. "They're happy tears. Harry, I mean, I know I need to correct him tomorrow or if he ever says it again, but I think he just called me 'Mama."

Harry visibly relaxed, the tension releasing from muscles all throughout his face, strong shoulders, and arms. She was a bit relieved too, Ginny had been acting a little crazy today and she did hate causing Harry grief. First worrying her about Teddy, then the key, then that awful conversation in the car, overhearing him talking about proposing, and now this… It had been a long day indeed.

"Happy tears? Okay, good. I'm glad you think that's a good thing." Harry said then walked over to her, he placed his hands on her hips and she felt the usual sparking sensation flood from the warmth of his hands. Harry turned her so they were face to face and pulled her close, kissing her lovingly.

Ginny knew that if they weren't at The Burrow, things would be happening very differently right now. Scooping her up, with one stron arm under her knees and one around her back, Harry carried her over to her favorite over-sized armchair in the corner. Ginny remembered being eleven years old and watching Harry play with her brothers in the garden from that very chair. Oh, how things had changed.

With his arms wrapped around her waist he asked, very seriously, "Are you going to tell me what that was about earlier?"

This was exactly the moment that she wasn't looking forward to, Ginny had no desire to tell Harry why she was upset or explain her fears, but she knew she would have to eventually. Sucking up her pride, and doing her best to act nonchalant, she said, "It was stupid, I've just been so stressed out from my exams, and haven't been sleeping much because of them." So far, all was true, "I've barely gotten to see you the past month, and," _here comes the lie_, she thought. "It really was nothing."

Damn, Harry knew her too well, "Something that got you that upset can't have been 'nothing,' Ginny. We don't have to talk about it now, if you really don't want to." Oh thank goodness, because honestly, she really didn't want to.

"I really don't," she smiled genuinely grateful for how amazing her boyfriend was. "We should probably head back downstairs, the others will wonder what we're doing up here."

_That's all I need, on top of everything else, for Mum and the rest to get the wrong impression_.

Harry kissed her quickly and let her get up off his lap. She lead him out of the room, remembering to turn around to place the protective enchantment around Teddy and the bed.

As they walked down the stairs, Ginny's head was still reeling. Teddy Lupin had actually called her 'Mama.' Where had he even heard the term? She hadn't even seen the child in almost two months, and he still thought of her like that. Ginny was so touched and amazed, all she wanted to do was run back up to her room and snuggle the little boy who had, in a way, become her son.


End file.
